As is known in the art, when ordering prescription glasses, the user's pupillary distance, i.e., the distance between the user's pupils, must be known in order to properly construct the glasses. There is a variance of this distance from person to person and proper sight correction can only be achieved if this distance is taken into account.
Additionally, there is a growing popularity among consumers to purchase corrective eyewear through venues other than a physical retail location employing an eye care professional, such as an optician. For example, corrective eyewear is currently sold over the Internet. However, there is a problem with Internet ordering in that consumers are not able to physically try on the eyeglass frames before purchase. Many consumers find it difficult to make a confident decision on a frame style without physically trying on the eyeglass frame and seeing how it looks on their face.
Another difficulty with ordering corrective eyewear over the Internet is measuring a pupillary distance of the consumer. The pupillary distance is the measurement of the distance from one pupil to the other pupil. The measurement is preferably taken from a location within one pupil to the same location within the other pupil. For example, the measurement should be taken from an edge of one pupil to a corresponding edge of the other pupil; or from a center of one pupil to the center of the other pupil. The pupillary distance is required for preparation of the eyeglass lenses. The pupillary distance measurement allows the lens preparer to align the center of focus on a corrective lens with the center of the consumer's pupils. Prior-art methods of measuring the pupillary distance of the consumer include: Contacting an optician, an optometrist, or other eye care professional to measure the pupillary distance at an optician's physical location; the consumer measuring the pupillary distance with a ruler; or capturing an image of a reference object, e.g., compact disc, held proximate to the consumer's face for measuring the pupillary distance relative to the reference object. However, consumers find it inconvenient and costly to visit an eye care professional. At the same time, many consumers find it difficult and cumbersome to measure their own pupillary distance. There is also a risk that the measurement will be inaccurate. This can result in the consumer receiving corrective eyewear that is inaccurately prepared and, therefore, does not correct the consumer's vision.
Capturing an image of the consumer's face proximate a reference object is also inconvenient because the consumer may not have the particular reference object on hand and, again, the consumer may position the reference object incorrectly. Typically, in order to accurately measure pupillary distance the reference object is placed on the same plane as the consumer's face so that the distance between the reference object and the camera lens is the same as the distance between the consumer's face and the camera lens. Inaccurately placing the reference object, respective to the consumer's face, can also result in an inaccurate measurement of the pupillary distance.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.